Fastest-Growing Small Towns

Despite the Great Recession, these places have seen populations pop.

There are certain fields that seem immune to recessionary woes. One is education. Another is sports. And of course, there's the military.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks, Alaska, relies particularly on the last one. Home to the Fort Wainwright and Eielson military bases, median family income in Fairbanks for 2009 was $87,239 and the unemployment rate was just 6.5%, well below the national average of 9.2% for 2009.

Maybe that's why the area's population jumped 13.7% between 2006 and 2009, making Fairbanks the fastest-growing small town in America.

To determine which small American towns are growing fastest, we used census data calculating the population growth rate between 2006 and 2009 for every town with fewer than 100,000 people.

Some surprising findings: Despite the state of Florida's catastrophic real estate bust, certain communities in the state are still flourishing. The Villages, Fla., a haven for retirees, saw its population increase by 13% to 77,681 in 2009. And while Palm Coast, Fla., isn't a retirement community, the housing bust didn't slow it down. The area, which is home to several mid-size businesses, has seen its population grow rapidly since 1990, and it's still going strong. From 2006 to 2009 Palm Coast's population grew 10.3% to 91,622.

Bozeman, Montana

Then there's Lincolnton, N.C., an old textile town northwest of Charlotte. Despite Charlotte's high unemployment rate--10.4%--people continue to move to this particular town. The population rose by 5.8% to 76,043 in 2009. Why? The area bills itself as a place with "small-town taxes, big-city transportation network." In fact, Lincolnton is close to Charlotte's airport, and property taxes are tiny. Residents pay just $570 in annual taxes on a property valued at $100,000. But don't come to Lincolnton to get a job. The unemployment rate in Lincoln County, according to the Lincoln Economic Development Association, is 14.1%.

The Villages,Florida

Yet according to John Connaughton, Babson Capital Professor of financial economics at UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business, Lincolnton has two critical things going for it: a new highway and Nascar racing. "There is a very large industry in this area building race cars," says Connaughton. "Top series teams are located in the area, as well as backup series, and manufacturing and team shops are located here. And there are 400 to 500 other firms that provide car parts."

Ames, Iowa

What's more, Lincolnton recently got a new highway--U.S. 321--which connects to I-85. That new four-lane, divided road has made Lincolnton a convenient spot for those who need to quickly get around the area.

So sometimes the growth of a town has to do with geography, jobs or resources. And other times it's about racecars.

He says that's only a fraction of the actual damages, but he doubts the county will qualify for aid because out-of-pocket costs that insurance doesn't cover so far total $228,408.

There's a $2 million out-of-pocket cost threshold for aid programs.

The City of Bozeman issued a news release Wednesday, saying the police department responded to about 15 calls related to the June 30 storm.

While the Bozeman Police Department didn't issue any citations for vehicles with broken glass,

the city advises people to contact their insurance agents and reminds people that it is illegal to drive a vehicle with a compromised windshield.

On June 30th at 4:00 p.m. a hail storm resulting in considerable property damage occurred in Bozeman, MT. The Police Department responded to approximately 15 calls related to this storm, with calls ranging from broken windows on vehicles and buildings to questions on what to do about reporting damage or ability to drive with a broken windshield. Only one person reported being injured by a direct hit with a hailstone.

The city also encourages those impacted by the storm to go to www.readygallatin.com to report damage. This information will help determine eligibility for any assistance programs and helps the city track historical storm damage.

People are encouraged to submit the following:

Name

Address

Contact Info

Do you rent or own?

Do you have insurance?

What is your deductible?

What do you estimate the cost of your damage is? (This does not need to be exact, just a guess)

What was the value of your property before the damage? (This does not need to be exact, just a guess)

A brief description of the damage

The city asks people to email this information to damage@gcem.us. If assistance programs do become available, people who have submitted their information will be contacted with what programs are available, according to the news release.

Additional information provided by the city includes:

1) BUILDING DEPARTMENT - 582-2375

Hail Damage Repairs

Roof repair - Permit required.

Glass Repair-

Commercial Glass- Generally a Permit is Required, but may be waived for replacement of broken glass only that is away from public areas. Contact Bldg Division for specific information. 582-2375

Contact Building Inspection for information at 582-2375 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting.

2) PLANNING DEPARTMENT - 582-2260

Hail Damaged Structures

Windows, siding, roofing, etc. replacement due to hail damage may require a building permit application.

Repair and maintenance (same materials, style and size) of windows, siding, roofing, etc. does not require planning review before building permit regardless of location within the City.

Those properties which are within the conservation overlay district (generally bounded by 11th Avenue, Lincoln Street, Oak Street and Broadway, see attached map NCOD.jpg) and the entryway corridor overlay districts (N. 7th Ave., 19th Ave., Main St., Huffine Ln., Baxter Ln., Valley Center Ln., Frontage Rd., I-90, Rouse Ave., Griffin Dr., & Vicinity, see attached map EOD.jpg) which are proposing changes to the materials, style, or size must submit, and receive approval, of a certificate of appropriateness prior to submission of a building permit.

Please visit the planning department at 20 E. Olive or call 582-2260 for more information on whether or not applications and/or permits are required for the repair or replacement of components of a residence or commercial building. The planning department will prioritize applications associated with hail damage.